Catalyst
by ThreeBulletNecklace
Summary: Six months on from the events of Life is Strange, the anniversary of Rachel Amber's disappearance is rapidly approaching. Seeing Chloe closing off emotionally instead of dealing with her feelings, Max takes it upon herself to do something about it. Rated M for lotsa salty language and suggestive themes.


**Hello readers, I'm back with some more PriceField for you. This took a long time to write, I actually started it midway through August, I think. Yeah, it takes me a long time to write stuff. Still, I'm hoping it's worth reading. I wanted to get it out before Episode 5 drops, and as I completed this with about half an hour left of the download, I think I succeeded. I mean, that counts, right? OK, I'm rambling, so let's get those all important disclaimers out of the way:**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own _Life is Strange_ blah blah blah yadda yadda. Please don't sue me for I have no money.**

 **Right, that's that out of the way. On with the story, and see you at the end.**

 **Catalyst**

It began with little things, such as staring out of the window in the quiet moments when Chloe thought Max wasn't looking, or obsessively thumbing through photos on her battered old phone. She tried to hide it, of course, she couldn't tell Max just how much she was beginning to utterly _dread_ the day that was now rapidly approaching.

The day Rachel had disappeared.

The day that murderous son of a bitch had taken her.

The day a giant, gaping void had been carved into her very soul. A hole that almost a year on she was still struggling to fill.

And it hurt. It hurt how much she couldn't unbend her pride enough to just _talk_ to Max. To let her know how much she needed her, in every way possible. Max was her anchor, her calm centre among the maelstrom of her feelings, the one person capable of filling the hole forever; and yet, she couldn't let Max see how vulnerable she was. She wanted to, she wanted to so damn much. Just to reach out and say _Hey, Max … I need help... I need_ you. She knew Max wouldn't hesitate for a second if she asked, the two women held so much love for each other, their bond made stronger by the mutual perils and traumas they had endured together.

In the six months since the tornado had almost destroyed the town, much had changed for the couple. After spending so many nights together at either Max's dorm or Chloe's room, the two had bitten the proverbial bullet and admitted one couldn't function if the other wasn't there. This had culminated in the renting of a small, one-bedroom apartment a short walk from the Two Whales Diner, which was convenient for Chloe; Joyce had given her a job there, if only to keep her occupied and distracted from her more self-destructive habits.

That had worked for a number of months, until the tendrils of Rachel Amber's ghost began to worm their way back into Chloe's mind. With Max increasingly preoccupied with her photography, often spending multiple late nights in Blackwell's dark rooms, Chloe was left alone with her thoughts. Thoughts that kept her lying awake in bed until Max would arrive home, too tired to notice her partner only pretending to sleep.

Though tired as she was during the nights, Max had already noticed and begun to grow concerned with her lover's change in behaviour. Not wanting to force the issue, as Chloe's stubbornness was legendary, she gave the blue haired woman her space. At least, until Max walked through the door one rainy April evening to find Chloe crying softly on the couch, an old bracelet of Rachel's clutched in her hand.

Seeing Max coming through the door, Chloe hastily tucked the bracelet into a pocket and wiped her sleeve across her face, hoping Max hadn't noticed.

She had. Crossing the room in several long strides, Max sat down next to her, and made to take Chloe's hands in her own. When Chloe flinched and drew away, a heavy silence descended on the room, until eventually Max said "Chlo … you wanna talk?"

The beanie-clad shifted awkwardly, running her hand through one of her turquoise-coloured bangs. "I don't want to talk, Max. I'm fine. Promise."

Max looked at her, eyes full of worry for her best friend. "Chlo ..."

"I said I'm fine, Max. Now drop it." She snapped. She looked away, unable to meet Max's eyes.

Hurt by Chloe's reaction, but undeterred, Max pressed on. "Is it about Rachel? I know it's almost a year since she-"

"It's not about Rachel, OK?! I told you to fucking drop it, so do me a favour and leave me the fuck alone for once!"

Without a word, Max stood and headed for their bedroom. She cast one, hurt-filled look in Chloe's direction. Chloe met it, and realised from the tears brimming in Max's eyes that she'd crossed a line. "Max, wait, I'm sorr-" But it was too late. The bedroom door closed with a soft click, and Max was gone.

The couple slept apart that night, for the first time in six months, although neither of the two got much sleep, Chloe being wrapped up in her own head and Max wishing she hadn't left. When the grey, dour morning came, Max went through her morning routine on auto-pilot, ignoring Chloe's stumbling attempts to apologise. It was only after she was behind the wheel of Chloe's old, worn-out truck that she let out a long-gestating, frustrated sob.

Three days later …

Unable to take the sullen silence any longer, Chloe put down her fork and reached across the breakfast bar, grabbing Max's hand before she could do anything. In a small, wavering voice betraying how dejected she felt, Chloe said "I'm sorry."

Max felt her lips twitch in the beginning of a small smile, the first one in three days. "It's OK." She laid her hand over Chloe's. "We both acted like total butt-heads. I'm sorry too."

Chloe's expression softened. She felt Max's thumb begin to trace small circles on the back of her hand. "But it is about Rachel, isn't it?" She could feel she was straying into dangerous waters again, but the brunette pressed on anyway. "I get it if you don't want to talk right now. Like I respect your choices and I'm not gonna force you to do anything you don't want … But you have to do something, Chlo. It breaks my heart seeing you like this. I love you, so much, and I'm worried we're gonna drift apart if this keeps being a thing."

Chloe looked up, her expression filled with fear. "You- you're gonna leave me?" She half-whispered, hands beginning to tremble and tears creeping into the corners of her eyes. Max smacked her in the arm, hard, earning a shocked gasp from her girlfriend. "Of course I'm not gonna leave you, you idiot. Why would I abandon the best thing in my life? We've been through so much, Chlo, and I honestly believe we were always meant to be together."

Chloe chuckled, a small portion of her old attitude re-surfacing. "Didn't think you believed in all that shit, you been hanging out with Kate Marsh again? Next thing you know you'll be throwing bibles at people in the street."

Max looked at her, eyebrow raised in her best attempt at a did-you-really-just-say-that face. Chloe grinned her (in)famous grin, and the two of them felt the tension of the past few days wash away. Max reached and took her hand again. "Very funny, Price. Though seriously, we need to find you something to help you get through this. And no, weed and booze doesn't count. I know what you're like."

Chloe looked away for a few moments, a deeply thoughtful expression etched across her face. Eventually she sighed and said "I know, Max. But it's really fucking hard, you know? I've never been good at asking people for help and shit. Like there's some part of me that still thinks it doesn't need anybody."

Max scooted round the breakfast bar, wrapping her arm around Chloe's waist and pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I know, and with me, you don't even have to ask. I'll always be here for you, Chlo. I may be Super Max, but I'm Price-less without you."

Chloe groaned, sinking her head into her hands in mock anguish. "That wasn't even punny."

Max giggled and turned Chloe's head towards her. She brought their lips together in a soft, yet loving kiss she hoped would convey just how much love she had for the blue-haired punk. "You love my puns, admit it." She mumbled against Chloe's lips. Her response was to nip at Nax's lower lip, drawing a small squeak from the brunette.

Chloe pulled away, pleased at the response she'd received. Max licked her slightly smarting lip and eyed her partner. "So, think you can talk?"

The punk girl paused. "I … I think I need more time. Or maybe I'm waiting for something to happen … like a catalyst or something. Fuck, I don't even know."

Max kissed her on the forehead, "OK, just ket me know when you're ready." She glanced at her phone. "Shouldn't you be at work right now, Miss Price?" She said, turning her phone to show Chloe that it was, indeed, past time she should have arrived at the Diner. Chloe's eyes widened in an expression of sheer panic.

"Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!" She scrambled away from the breakfast bar, grabbing her bag and hastily pulling on her leather jacket, battered boots and well-worn beanie. She pelted for the door, letting out a quick "Love ya!" (that Max swore had a Doppler effect to it) as she disappeared through the door. Max giggled and yelled back "I LOVE YOU TOO YOU FUCKING DORK!" Her giggling turned into a full-on belly laugh as she heard muffled wailing emanating from the apartment block stairs as Chloe raced down them.

She was just about to resume her breakfast (and finish Chloe's leftovers), when an aggravated sounding thump came from the ceiling. Max grimaced. "Sorry Mrs D!" She shouted up at her notoriously grumpy upstairs neighbour, who no doubt was disapproving of both the yelling and the swearing. The thud she received in reply sounded as if it was saying _apology accepted,_ if thuds could indeed sound like they were saying anything.

Freed from distractions, Max's mind wandered back to Chloe's words. _"Or maybe I'm waiting for something to happen … like a catalyst or something."_

 _But what could she be waiting for?_ Max thought. _She said "catalyst" … that's usually some kind of outside element that precipitates change. Maybe she's waiting for something to happen_ to _her so she can begin to deal with it, instead of working up the motivation herself._ She smiled. _Look at me with all the science lingo. Warren would have a full-on nerd boner if he was here. Though Brooke probably gives him enough of those._

A mental image of Brooke and Warren pounced unbidden in to her mind. _Oh, fucking_ _gross! Ew ew ew ew! Why did you think of that, Brain? Why must you betray me so?_ She shook her head, trying to remove the offending image from her head. Forcing herself to track back to her previous train of thought, the inklings of an idea began to take root. _What if the catalyst was to do with Rachel herself?_ It was then that something seemed to click in her mind, and she knew what she needed to do. She unlocked her phone, scrolled through her contacts until she found her target, and began typing.

 **Max: Hey Daniel, it's Max.**

 **Daniel: Super Max! How u doing? Up to much? Feels like I haven't seen u in forever.**

 **Max: Yeah, been hella busy with photography stuff. Hey listen, I need a HUUUUUUGE favor from you...**

 **Daniel: Oh? What's up?**

 **Max: It's to do with Chloe. I'd be super eternally grateful if you could help out!**

 **Daniel: Hold the gratitude. Anything for Arcadia Bay's very own superhero.**

 **Max: I'm hardly a superhero, dude. Anyways, here's what I need you to do...**

As Max laid out her plan, she became more and more convinced this was exactly what Chloe needed. The only hard part would be putting everything together without her noticing. At least she had a willing accomplice in the form of Daniel. Max still had his sketch of her, now framed and hanging on the wall. Max wasn't a huge fan of it, but Chloe had insisted, citing it as a memento of the events that had brought them back together. "Plus you look hella cute in it." She'd said, earning a blush from the smaller woman.

Having Daniel on board would make things easier, but Max would still have a substantial amount she'd have to do herself, in secret, if her plan was going to work. Quickly thinking of an excuse to tell Chloe, she fired off another text.

 **Max: Hey Chlo. I know I said I'd be here for you as much as possible, but I've got a shit-ton of work to do at Blackwell, so I might be late home for a few days. I'm really sorry! The new photography teacher's such a hard-ass when it comes to homework! :(**

 **Chloe: Don't worry about it, Maxipad. You do what you need to. I'll be fine.**

Max smiled and put her phone away, only to bring it out again when it buzzed twice in quick succession.

 **Chloe: And what did I say about emoji? That's a spankin'!**

A picture of Chloe with a comically serious face, holding up a spatula in a threatening manner followed.

 **Max: Only if you can catch me.**

Deciding to mess with Chloe as much as possible, she snapped a quick picture of her butt, making sure her jeans were sitting just low enough on her hips for top inch of her bright pink underwear to be visible. She sent it to Chloe.

 **Max: Though I'm sure you won't have any trouble catching this … you never have before :P**

 **Chloe: HNNNNNNGG. Damn it, Max. You're gonna make me horny at work you fucking tease.**

 **Max: Then get back to work and stop thinking of all the things we could be doing to each other...**

 **Chloe: FUCK YOU MAX.**

 **Max: Oh? Am I frustrating my poor little butterfly?**

 **Chloe: I'm pretty sure you could fucking drown a toddler in my panties right now.**

 **Max: Got any cucumbers around there?**

 **Chloe: … Whyyyyy?**

 **Max: Anything's a dildo if you're brave enough ;-)**

 **Chloe: THAT'S IT I'M NOT TALKING TO U ANYMORE.**

Max put her phone down, amused by how easy it was to screw with the blue-nette when she wanted to. She set to work on her plan, satisfied she'd distracted Chloe enough to conceal the real reason she'd be out late for the next few days.

Eight hours later, she'd made some fairly decent progress when she heard the jingle of keys just outside the door. Hastily hiding the work-in-progress in her bag, she looked up to see a wild-eyed and obviously frazzled Chloe standing in the doorway. Max smirked and opened her mouth, but before she could say anything she was tackled onto the couch by her lover, landing with a thump onto the cushions. Chloe immediately assaulted Max's lips with her own, ferociously kissing her, hands roaming up and down the brunette's body relentlessly. Max responded in kind, pushing back against Chloe and moving them to a standing position. Chloe broke the kiss long enough to growl "Bedroom. _Now."_ at a more-than-willing Max. They both stumbled for the bedroom, mouths hungrily seeking any patch of skin they could find, only breaking contact long enough to remove and fling items of clothing any which way.

Somehow managing to fling the bedroom door open, Max hopped up onto Chloe's waist, wrapping her legs around her lover's hips. Chloe responded by raking her nails down Max's now naked back, drawing a guttural moan from the smaller woman. She reached up, tangling her hands in Chloe's bright blue hair. Her mouth latched onto Chloe's neck, sucking greedily until a large red mark form, bruising the skin. Chloe chuckled, "You know I'm gonna have to explain to people at work why I have a giant lovebite on my neck now, right?"

"I don't care. I want the world to know you're _mine._ " Max responded, nibbling on an earlobe. Chloe's eyes rolled back. "Holy fucking hell I love it when you're like this." She whispered, her breathing becoming shorter and sharper with every second.

"Shut up and let me fuck you." Growled Max, swiftly divesting Chloe of her remaining clothes and pushing her onto the bed. She was about to really get to work on her partner when she felt two hands on her shoulders, pushing back up. "Max, wait. As much as I really want you to fuck me so hard I can't walk tomorrow, I need you to wait for a second. I've got a surprise for you." She grinned lecherously. Max cocked an eyebrow.

"Just wait there, I'll be back in a second, I promise." Chloe scrambled off the bed, not bother to cover her naked body before disappearing through the door. "Oh, I forgot." She said, sticking her head back into the room. "I want you on the bed, on all fours. Ass up and eyes closed." She stuck her tongue out at Max as the latter rolled her eyes before obliging Chloe's demand. "AND NO PEEKING!" She heard Chloe yell from within the depths of the apartment. After a few seconds, she heard the door open again and the sound of Chloe's bare feet padding across the floor. Curiosity turned to anticipation, which grew exponentially when she heard _something_ swishing through the air.

She felt Chloe run a hand down her back, directly along her spine, until it finally came to a rest on the gentle curve of her ass. Her skin broke out in goosebumps, her entire being shuddering in poorly-suppressed desire.

Desire which was promptly shattered by Chloe smacking something incredibly hard and flat onto her left buttock. Max's surprised shriek was muffled as the force of the blow knocked her entirely off her knees and face first into the bed. "What the FUCK, Chloe?!" She spluttered, rolling over to face the blue-nette currently rolling around on the bed, laughing her ass off.

Max's eyes bulged. "Is – is that a fucking spatula?!"

Chloe nodded, her breath coming in short gasps between belly laughs.

"I … fucking … told you so." She forced out.

"Oh you are so hella dead." Max promised, a second before she launched herself at the now defenceless Chloe. She shrieked as Max landed on her, both of them giggling like teenagers smoking their first joint. At that moment, another entirely irritated thud came from the ceiling. "SORRY MRS. D!" The two women chorused, trying to stifle their giggles. The two looked at one another as the giggling died down, something sparking between them as their eyes locked. Their lips met once again, not vigorous as before, but soft, loving. Hands wandered and breathing deepened, each woman expressing their absolute love for the other.

An hour later, two happy, naked, sweaty and entirely sated bodies lay together in comfortable silence, the only sound being their gradually slowing breathing. After a few more companionable minutes, Chloe yawned, stretching like a particularly vivacious cat.

"Wow, Max … That was-"

"I know." The brunette cut her off, fingers lazily tracing circles on Chloe's abdomen. "We really should do that more often." She breathed into the blue-nette's ear, drawing a purring-like noise from her.

"Hella."

A few more minutes passed in silence, with Max staring contemplatively at the ceiling. Her thoughts were eventually interrupted by a soft snore. She looked over and saw Chloe had fallen asleep, sporting a smile that only the truly sexually satisfied could pull off. Max smiled and dragged the covers over the sleeping woman, before carefully sliding out of bed and shutting the door with a soft click.

She had work to do.

Ten days later...

A small shaft of light sliced through a gap in the curtain, and, unfortunately for Chloe, hit her right in the eye. She grumbled and covered her face, blocking out the offending beam of light. Lifting her head, she blearily opened her eyes, and reached for her phone. Unlocking it, her eyes immediately locked on to the date. It was the twenty third of April. The day Rachel disappeared.

She rolled over, looking to Max for comfort. She wasn't there. "Max?" She whispered, panic setting in and roiling in her gut. She tore the covers off, leaping out of bed and scrambling for the door. "MAX!" She shouted, bursting through it, only to be greeted by the surprised face of a pyjama-clad brunette, holding a spatula in one hand and a frying pan in the other. "Chloe? What's u-MPPHH!" She managed to say before the wild-eyed blue-nette was hugging so tight she could barely breathe. After a few seconds, Chloe disengaged, breathing heavily. "I'm sorry, I freaked out because I looked at what day it is and then you weren't there and I panicked and-" This time, it was Max who cut her off by taking Chloe's face in her hands and kissing her, hard.

"It's OK, Chlo. I'm here for you, 'kay?"

Chloe took a deep breath and let it out, visibly relaxing. "Thanks, Max." She looked around at the kitchen. "The hell are you doing in here, you can't cook for shit?"

Max pouted. "Well I _was_ making you a surprise breakfast of bacon pancakes because A) I love you, and B) I know how important today is to you." She took hold of the frying pan. "But if you're gonna give me that attitude I'll eat everything myself." She said, smirking when Chloe tried to pull puppy-dog eyes at her.

"OK, fine!" She gave in when Chloe began making small whimpering noises. The punk beamed as she was handed a plate with a stack of bacon pancakes on it, immediately digging in. "Y' – _mmm –_ know, this ain't half – _mmphh –_ bad, Max. For you."

Max hit her with the spatula. "Shut up and eat it, Little Miss My-Cooking-Is-So-Great Diner Chef." She glanced at the time. "Listen, I gotta get going soon. I know, I know!" She said as Chloe began to protest. "I know you need me today, but I do have classes that I can't bunk off. Just come meet me at Blackwell when I'm done, okay? I finish at about six."

With that, she disappeared into the bathroom. The sound of the shower being turned on followed a few seconds later. She emerged just as Chloe finished her pancakes, clad in a towel and running a brush through her wet hair. She pecked Chloe on the forehead, gave her a wink and headed for the bedroom. "Washing up's on you, OK? And no grumbling about it! I cooked, you clean."

This was not enough to stop Chloe from complaining under her breath as she loaded the plates and various cooking utensils into the sink, coating everything with washing up liquid and running the water. She heard the sound of Max emerging from the bedroom, and looked over to see she was wearing her usual attire of grey jeans and T-shirt sporting a deer on the front. The difference was she had augmented her outfit with one of Rachel's black and red chequered shirts. Catching Max's eye, Chloe raised an eyebrow. Max shrugged. "Seemed fitting for today." She pulled on her shoes and grabbed her bag. "See you later on. I love you, you got that?"

Chloe nodded, smiling softly. "I love you too."

As Max left the apartment, Chloe let out a sigh. It was going to be a long day.

Eleven hours later, an extremely impatient Chloe Price sat in her truck, tapping the steering wheel anxiously and staring at the main entrance to Blackwell. She glanced at the clock, seeing that it read 6:04pm. "C'mon, Max, where are you?" She muttered. Not ten seconds later, she saw the object of her attention come through the doors and wave when she spotted the truck.

"Shove over." She said when she was in earshot. "We're going for a drive." Puzzled, Chloe slid over to the passenger seat, letting Max get in and take the wheel. She peeled out of the parking lot, heading slightly away from Arcadia Bay. "Wait, Max, are we going where I think we're going?"

"Yup."

"Why?"

"You'll see."

They lapsed into silence as Max drove on, the slowly setting sun casting the world in a gentle amber glow. Ten minutes later, they reached their destination: the junk-yard.

Max shut the engine off and looked over at her partner. "You OK?" She asked. "I don't know, Max. I haven't been up here since … since everything happened."

"You'll be fine, Chlo. I promise. C'mon, let's go."

The two of them got out of the truck, Max holding her hand tightly. They headed into the junk-yard, the shapes of the various abandoned cars and other waste appearing ominous in the rapidly dying light. Chloe found herself gripping Max's arm as she realised where they were headed towards her and Rachel's old den. She felt Max stop. "OK, I need you to wear this for a little bit, is that OK?" Max said, bringing a blindfold out from her pocket. "Trust me, Chloe."

Chloe nodded nervously, allowing Max to slip the piece of material over her head. She felt Max guiding her forward, uttering constant reassurance. After what seemed like forever, but in reality was probably only a couple of minutes, they stopped.

"You can take off the blindfold now." She heard Max say. Reaching up, she slowly removed the blindfold, and opened her eyes.

They were in the den. Or rather, what had been the den. Instead of bare iron walls covered in graffiti, there were dozens, if not hundreds of photos adorning the walls. Chloe gasped, seeing that they were all photos of Rachel and Chloe, with the occasional picture of her and Max. In the very centre of the pictures, a giant, lovingly detailed mural of Rachel was plastered across the wall, lit from underneath by dozens of tiny candles.

Chloe felt tears forming in her eyes. "Max … I – I don't know what to say … how did …?"

Max hugged her, holding her tight. "You like it?"

"Of- of course I do. It's beautiful, Max. How the hell did you do this?"

Max smiled sheepishly. "I may have only told you a little bit of the truth a few days ago when I said I had a butt-load of work to do."

"Wait, so you were setting this up the entire time?"

"Yup."

"Were you even at Blackwell today?"

"Nope! I snuck back after I'd finished everything here."

Chloe couldn't help but smile. "I love you so fucking much."

"I know. But that's not all." Max reached under a battered old table and drew out a backpack. From it she pulled a sleeping bag. "I thought we could stay here tonight. I think Rachel would have liked that."

The mention of her name proved too much for Chloe, and she sank onto the old mattress still on the floor, tears overflowing and running down her face. Max sat down next to her, unzipping the sleeping bag and drawing it over them. She wrapped her arms around Chloe, holding her close and stroking her hair as her lover cried softly.

The two of them sat like that for a while, with Max continually comforting Chloe. Eventually, her tears dried up, and in a small voice she said "I miss her."

Max kissed her on the cheek. "I know."

They lay down, each relaxing into the other's warmth. Chloe wiped her cheeks of the remaining wetness and nuzzled into Max's neck.

"I love you." She said.

"I know."

And there the two of them stayed, as the candles burned slowly lower and the stars circled lazily overhead. In her heart, as she felt the ghost of Rachel finally losing its hold over her, Chloe knew she would have approved.

She smiled.

 **The End.**

 **So what did you think? Any good or have I just wrttien something very long and rambling with not much point to it? I did originally mean for this to be a Serious Drama Fic, but apparently I can't help but put fluffy romance and comedy into everything I do, so the tone in generally ended up being quite a bit lighter than I originally wanted it to be.**

 **Also, for anyone reading who was going "Ooh, sexytime alert!" (I can't believe I just wrote that), sorry about the bait-and-switch. I don't really like writing smut scenes, and that's honestly the closest I've ever come to doing one. Hopefully you still enjoyed it and don't think it was too schmaltzy or anything.**

 **Please leave a review if you have anything to say, I thrive off them and tend to respond to every one I get. Alright, I'm done here. Peace out.**


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